How to Move the Windows 11 Paging File to a Secondary SSD

How to Check Your Current Paging File Settings

You can check your current paging file settings in a minute through the System Properties window. This shows which drive holds your virtual memory file and how large it is. Nothing changes until you click OK in the final window, so it is safe to look around.

1. Click the Start button on your taskbar🖥️.
2. Type View advanced system settings into the search🔍 box.

   

3. Click the result named View advanced system settings, which has a control panel🎛️ icon next to it. The System Properties window opens.
4. Make sure you are on the Advanced tab at the top.

1. Find the Performance section near the top of the Advanced tab and click its Settings button. The Performance Options window opens.
2. Click the Advanced tab inside this new window.
3. Find the Virtual memory section near the bottom and click Change. The Virtual Memory window opens.
4. Read the list of drives and their current paging file sizes. At the bottom, the Total paging file size for all drives area shows the minimum allowed, the recommended size and the size currently allocated.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Move the Paging File to a Secondary SSD

To move the paging file, you open the Virtual Memory window, turn off automatic sizing, remove the file from your main drive and set up a new one on your second drive. This shifts virtual memory to the secondary SSD and frees storage on the primary drive.

1. Open the Virtual Memory window by following the steps in the previous section.
2. Uncheck the box named Automatically manage paging file size for all drives near the top. The drive list and the size options below it, which were greyed out, become available. If they stay greyed out, you are probably not signed in as an administrator.
3. In the drive list, click your main drive (usually C:).
4. Below the drive list, select No paging file.
5. Click the Set button. If a warning box asks whether you are sure, click Yes. The entry for C: should now show “None” as its size.
6. Click your secondary SSD in the drive list (for example, D:). If the drive is not listed, it has no drive letter yet. Assign one in Disk Management first.
7. Select System managed size or Custom size. System managed size lets Windows pick the size automatically.
8. Click Set again. This step matters. If you skip it, the choice is not saved, and the drive still shows no size beside it. The secondary drive should now show a size or “System managed”.
9. Click OK at the bottom of the Virtual Memory window, then click OK in the remaining windows.

After the restart, Windows 11 uses the secondary SSD for virtual memory. Your C: drive gets the space back, and Windows has more room to work with temporary data.

One thing to know before you remove the file from C: entirely. Windows needs a paging file on the boot drive to write a full crash dump after a blue screen. If you want crash dumps for troubleshooting, leave a small system managed paging file on C: and put the main one on the second drive. To undo everything, return to the Virtual Memory window, check Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, click OK and restart.

Choosing the Right Paging File Size (Custom vs. System Managed)

When you set up the paging file on the secondary drive, you must decide how big it should be. You have two main choices:

System Managed Size

A system managed size lets Windows 11 control your virtual memory based on your installed RAM and current app usage. It prevents out-of-memory errors without any size calculations on your part. It is the safest choice for most people moving their pagefile to a second drive, and the one to pick if you are unsure.

Custom Size

A custom size lets you type exact values in megabytes into the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB) boxes. It suits advanced users who want to stop Windows from resizing the file, or who need to limit disk space use on a specific partition. Setting both values the same keeps the file at a fixed size. Do not go too small, because a file that is too small can cause app crashes and low-memory warnings. If you see these problems, switch back to system managed size.

Advanced Tip: Optimizing SSD Health and Wear

You do not need to worry about SSD wear when moving a paging file to a secondary drive. Modern solid-state drives have built-in wear-leveling, which spreads read and write operations evenly across the memory chips. A standard paging file will not wear out your secondary SSD early.

Unless you run heavy video editing software or a server around the clock, a modern secondary SSD will outlast the useful life of your computer, even with an active paging file.

For drive health, keep roughly 15 to 20 percent of the secondary SSD’s total space empty. That free space gives the drive room to move data around efficiently and keeps it fast. Check it in File Explorer under This PC now and then.

Troubleshooting Common Issues After Moving Your Paging File

Most problems after moving the paging file show up at startup, as a temporary pagefile warning or a crash. In nearly every case, the cause is that Windows cannot find the secondary drive or the settings conflict. Check that the secondary SSD is securely connected and recognized in Disk Management, and that the settings on the primary drive do not conflict.

• “Windows created a temporary paging file” message: This happens when Windows started and could not find the paging file on your secondary drive. Make sure the drive is plugged in correctly and shows up in File Explorer. Then restart your computer. If the message returns, reopen the Virtual Memory window and confirm that the secondary drive still has a size set.
• System crashes or blue screens: If your computer crashes after moving the file, your custom size might be too small. Go back into the virtual memory settings, select the secondary drive, change the option to System managed size, and click Set and then OK. Restart afterward.
• Drive letter changed: If your secondary drive changes its letter (for example, from D: to E:), Windows loses track of the paging file. Assign a permanent drive letter using Disk Management to prevent this. After fixing the letter, check the Virtual Memory window again.

Summary

Moving your Windows 11 paging file to a secondary SSD is a simple way to free up space on your main drive and spread out virtual memory use. You turn off automatic management, clear the old file, create a system managed or custom file on the second drive and restart. If anything goes wrong, turning automatic management back on restores the default setup.